Thursday, 3 November
A beautiful fall day found mom and me on one of the new municipal busses that zip around the city. Except that we didn’t just zip a short distance; we rode the bus all the way around the bay from Alsancak to Bostanlı, one of the municipalities of Karşıyaka (which literally translates as the opposite collar, or the opposite shore). The ride took about 45 minutes, and was an easy means of getting us to my uncle’s house. In fact, the bus dropped us off just steps from the street on which they live, so we couldn’t have asked for better. And you can’t beat the price — 1.75TL (approx. $1). Now, had the traffic been bad, I might have felt differently about taking the bus, but our mid-morning trip meant little traffic to hinder us along the way.
The map above is actually one that shows the ferry landings (existing and projected). since we took the ferry back from KarşIyaka to alsancak via pasaport (see the area circled), I thought it would do nicely to show where bostanli is in relation to where we are in alsancak.
My uncle has not been in the greatest of health in recent years, so I was glad to have a chance to visit, and was delighted when he actually chatted with me. (Last time I saw him, he was rather quiet and not talking much with anyone.) That he was happy to see me was apparent from the twinkle in his eye; that made my day.
The photo above was taken at my cousin Hülya’s engagement party in December 1974. I’ll start with the back row (R to L): Suna Yenge, yaman (my cousin), KamİL (Hülya’s fiancé), Hülya (may she rest in peace; we lost her at a very young age), adnan amca, my father, mom, “Moi of the big hair”, Ruhan (my cousin), Cİcİ (or serpİl), Hala (my aunt), and Denİz (my brother). The gentleman sitting down is my paternal grandfather; the ladies are relatives on yenge’s side of the family. The little girl closest to my grandfather is Aylİn.
After our short visit, mom and I hopped a bus to downtown Karşıyaka. We’d planned to have lunch and then go to a “remembrance house.” Since we were stuffed from the ıspanaklı börek (pastry filled with spinach) my aunt had served with tea, we decided to skip lunch and go straight to the next part of our plans.
The Latife Hanım Köşkü Anı Evi (Latife Hanım’s Villa Remembrance House), a house that dates back to the 1860s, was renovated and opened to the public in 2008 (no admission). It is built in the Late Ottoman architectural style. I had no idea this house existed until mom suggested that we visit it.
Collage of photos showing the villa pre- and post-restoration.
[top right and two bottom photos scanned from the brochure]
Latife Hanım was Atatürk’s wife. The house belonged to her family and was used as a summer residence. It is significant in Turkish history as the place where Atatürk’s mother, Zübeyde Hanım, died in 1923.
(P.S. Hanım is an honorific used in referring to women; it can be translated as Mrs or Ms.)
embroidered frame displaying a photograph of Latİfe HanIm and Atatürk.
At the entrance, we were asked to put disposable plastic booties over our shoes and were then left to wander around at will. The brochure and the signage around the house focuses on events that took place in the house, such as Zübeyde Hanım’s first dinner here, and Atatürk’s words at his mother’s grave. While they made interesting reading, there was little information about the period furnishings used to decorate the interior of the house.
rooms on the First Floor
Detail from the rooms.
The flag in the top right is one that atatürk walked under when he arrived in İzmİr on
10 September 1922, following the liberation of the city from the occupying greek forces.
Walking up the stairs to the second floor, I was taken aback by the reflection in the mirror of an elderly woman sitting in a chair. The woman looked so much like the pictures I’d seen of Zübeyde Hanım that it could have been her twin. I had to chuckle when, moments later, it dawned on me that the figure was made of wax! It turns out that the three main rooms upstairs each had a wax figure to greet visitors. I later read that it took 2.5 months to make each one.
Latİfe HanIm
[note the inset picture that was the inspiration for this figure,]
atatürk
Zübeyde Hanim
Collage of B&W images from the billboards in the front yard of the villa.
Instead of taking the bus back for the return trip to Alsancak, we took one of the ferries that scurry back and forth across the bay. Operating on a regular schedule, the ferry system is another inexpensive means of public transport (1.75TL [approx. $1]). Our timing was perfect and we had a very short wait at the Karşıyaka ferry terminal before we boarded the boat that took us to Alsancak via Pasaport.
From Karşiyaka ...
The monument in the lower left honors “atatürk, his mother, and women’s rights.”
... to Pasaport ...
The pasaport ferry terminal dates back to 1884.
… to Alsancak.
Top Left: the former NATO Headquarters building.
Left Center: MSC Magica in port for a day-visit.
bottom Left: Note how the MSC Magica looks like it’s one of the kordon apartment buildings.
Top right: The building with the flag is the house where atatürk lived when he came to İzmİr.
We wrapped up the day by joining Aylin and her friend for afternoon tea; thanks for the çay and tasty treats, Aylin.
Tomorrow we’re heading to a resort town where I spent many a childhood summer. Since I’m leaving Sunday to return to the US, it will probably be my last real outing of this trip. I intend to make the most of it!
